Modular conveyor belts and chains are routinely used in various industries to aid in the transportation of parts and products. Modular belting and chains comprise adjacent modules interconnected to each other at link ends. Generally, one link end extends from a leading edge and another link end extends from a trailing edge of a module. The leading and trailing link ends contain apertures formed therethrough to accommodate link pins. The leading edge of one module meshes with the trailing edge of an adjacent module to allow a link pin to be coaxially inserted into the adjacent link end apertures. Numerous modules can be connected in this fashion until the desired conveyor belt assembly is formed. The conveyor belt is supported by a conveyor frame or boom and a drive pulley is used to advance the conveyor belt along a combination of slider beds and idler pulleys.
A conveyor belt or chain is under stress and tension during operation. The weight of the modules, the weight of product being transported, the friction between the modules and the bearing surfaces, and thermodynamic changes, among other factors, combine to create stress and tension in the conveyor belt or chain. Reinforcement links are placed in-line with the modules to better manage the stresses and maintain the dimensional stability and accuracy of each module, and therefore, the overall conveyor assembly.
Reinforcement links have been incorporated into modules in several ways. One method requires that the reinforcement link be an integrated part of the module. This can be accomplished, for example, by comolding the reinforcement link within a plastic module. Another method simply places reinforcement links in-line with the modules, such that, as the overall belt tension increases, the reinforcement links carry an increasing amount of the tension thus preventing the modules from undergoing significant deformation.
These two methods of managing the stress present several practical problems of assembly and repair. By comolding the reinforcement links with the modules, the cost of the modules increases and when a module becomes damaged, the integral reinforcement link must either be discarded or removed with substantial effort.
The use of in-line reinforcement links, while reducing the recovery issues presented by comolding, introduces significant problems during the initial assembly or subsequent repair of a modular conveyor belt system. As previously discussed, conveyor belt assemblies are comprised of numerous modules having intermeshing link ends that are connected together by a hinge pin. To assemble the conveyor, all of the link ends must be meshed, the reinforcement links held in alignment with the link ends, and a hinge pin must then be inserted through the resulting assembly at the link ends. This process becomes increasingly challenging as the width of the conveyor belt increases, often to multiple feet.
Aligning all of the pieces of a conveyor belt assembly can be quite cumbersome. The reinforcement links present the most difficulties as they are easily moved out of alignment. The frustrations are amplified when a conveyor belt is taken off line and a technician is needed to replace a damaged module—the conveyor sits idle, unrestrained reinforcement links fall to the floor, parts move out of alignment, and the technician begins to sweat.